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Leftovers for breakfast

The Orioles talked to the Tigers about acquiring pitcher Doug Fister, but executive vice president Dan Duquette said there wasn't a match.

The Tigers preferred the players being offered by the Nationals: infielder Steve Lombardozzi and left-handers Ian Krol and Robbie Ray.

The Orioles had early interest in Mike Napoli, but it didn't last long. Just a little bit of tire kicking and that was it.

Napoli agreed to terms with the Red Sox last night on a two-year, $32 million contract.

The Orioles remain encouraged by Manny Machado's recovery from knee surgery. There's no way to know on this date whether he'll be ready for the March 31 opener against the Red Sox, but there haven't been any setbacks.

"The reports on him are that he's coming along with his rehab," Duquette said. "He's very diligent in his work. We'll get an update next week.

"The doctor said six months out, right? Manny's working hard to be ready."

The Orioles will have one opening on their 40-man roster once the Ryan Webb and Francisco Peguero signings become official.

Any chance that the local media will be talking to Duquette on Thursday morning about a new player chosen in the Rule 5 draft?

"I hope so, I hope so," he said.

Keep in mind that the Orioles can remove other players from the 40-man to accommodate any signings or trade acquisitions.

Peguero is going on the 40-man roster because, though the Giants non-tendered him, they offered him another major league contract. That's how it's been explained to me.

The Orioles have four catchers on their 40-man roster: Matt Wieters, Steve Clevenger, Johnny Monell and Michael Ohlman. Caleb Joseph figures to receive an invitation to spring training if he isn't claimed in the Rule 5 draft.

I've heard that the PTBN in the Jim Johnson trade could be a catcher. Yes, we'll see.

Infielder Cord Phelps had a follow-up exam on his right wrist earlier this week. He didn't play after July 2 at Triple-A Columbus because of the inflammation, and the Indians placed him on the 60-day disabled list on Aug. 28.

"He's been healthy since September, so he's healthy now," Duquette said. "He was cleared to play in September, but they didn't activate him."

Shameless plug alert: I'm back on "Wall to Wall Baseball" from noon-2 p.m. on MASN. We won't be talking about Cord Phelps.